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Update 1: The card offer in this post is no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

Update 2: Beginning July 23, 2017, the 4th night free perk will refund the average cost of a 4-night stay, NOT including taxes.

How Does the Citi Prestige 4th Night Free Work?

Citi Prestige cardholders can get their last night free on a paid, 4-night hotel stay. And it can be at any hotel that can be booked by Citi Concierge. This includes major hotel chains and independent hotels.

Using Your 4th Night Free at a Hotel Like the St. Regis Princeville in Kauai Could Save You Over $500 per Stay

Here’s how to book your stay and get your 4th night free!

Step 1 – Do Your Research

If you know which hotels and dates you’re interested in, 1st search hotel websites to find current rates.

Rates provided will be equal to or lower than the lowest publicly-available fare at the hotel’s official website.

So it’s good to have the rate information before you call Citi, to ensure you’re getting the best available (or better) rate!

That said, folks on FlyerTalk confirm getting the same rate or even cheaper than booking through the hotel website.

Step 2 – Call Citi Prestige

Call Citi Prestige customer service at 877-288-2484. They’ll connect you to the Citi Prestige Concierge. Ask to book a hotel stay using the 4th night free benefit.

They’ll ask you for your dates of travel, budget, and where you want to stay (you can ask for specific hotels if you wish).

You Can Ask for Specific Hotels, or Search for Hotels in a Certain Area Within Your Budget

Step 3 – Book Your Stay

If you’re happy with the hotel and rate offered, book your stay with them using your Citi Prestige card.

You may only have to pay a deposit at this time (and pay the balance at the hotel, also using your Citi Prestige card). But for prepaid, non-refundable rates you’ll be asked to pay for the whole stay upfront.

Note:You must pay for all 4 nights using your Citi Prestige card. Then, you’ll receive a statement credit for your last night (room rate and taxes) within 1 to 2 billing cycles after you complete your stay.

Step 4 – Check Your Hotel Reservation

You should get hotel points, stay credits, and elite status perks for bookings made through this program. That’s because you’re booking the hotels through a travel agent at their own rack rates (and not through a discount online travel agency like Orbitz or Expedia).

You’ll Still Earn Points & Stay Credits, and Get Your Elite Status Perks Like Free Breakfast or Lounge Access When You Book Through Citi Prestige

But if you’ve booked at a chain hotel, you should sign-in to your hotel reward program account and double-check that they’ve added your account number to your reservation.

Step 5 – Watch for Your Statement Credit

Citi says you’ll get a statement credit 1 to 2 billing cycles after you complete your stay. And it’s for the actual value (including taxes) of your 4th night.

Because of this, try to book stays where the last night is the most expensive!

To cancel your reservation, you must call Citi and NOT the hotel (and cancellation policies based on your rate will apply)

You can book any room or room type, as long as the travel agent can access it (so upgraded rooms, suites etc. all count!).

You Don’t Have to Book a Standard Room to Use This Perk – All Room Types Should Count

How to Make the Most of This Benefit

1. Make Your Last Night the Most Expensive

You’ll get the most value out of this perk by booking a stay where your 4th night is the most expensive. That’s because you’ll get a statement credit for the actual cost of that night!

Make Your Last Night the Most Expensive to Get the Biggest Statement Credit for Your Stay

So you’re not limited to saving 25% (1 night free / 4 nights total). If the last night of your stay is the most expensive, you’ll save even more! (And if it’s the cheapest, your average savings will be less).

Often hotels will have more expensive rates on certain nights, like weekends or during special events. So if you can plan your stays to end at those times, you’ll get the best deal.

2. Book 2 Different Hotels

Citi will NOT let you book an 8 consecutive night stay and get the credit for 2 nights.

But if you have a long stay coming up, there are a couple of options:

Book 4 consecutive nights at 1 hotel, then another 4 nights at a different, nearby hotel

Book 4 consecutive nights at 1 hotel, stay elsewhere for 1 night, then book another 4 nights at the 1st hotel

Either way, you’ll get the statement credit for the last night of each 4-night booking. That could be a huge savings!

3. Business Travelers Could Do Very Well!

If you travel for business, pay for hotels with your own cards, then get paid back by your employer, you could make a profit.

Folks Who Use Their Personal Cards to Book Business Hotel Stays Could Make Money From This Deal!

That’s because usually, folks are reimbursed based on the amount of the hotel receipt. And when you book through this program, your receipt will show the full cost of the 4-night stay.

4. You’ll Still Earn 2X Citi ThankYou Points for Your Free Night!

Here’s another great bonus! You’ll earn 3 points per $1 you spend on hotels (including booked through travel agents) with the Citi Prestige.

Initially, you’ll earn 3X points for all 4 nights of your stay. But when the statement credit comes through, folks on FlyerTalk report that they’ll debit ThankYou points from your account at a rate of 1X.

So in effect, you’re getting 2X points for the cost of your last night, even though it’s free! That’s a great deal!

5. This Should Stack With Other Hotel Promotions

Because you’ll earn points and stay credits, you can stack this deal with other hotel promotions.

Who Should NOT Use This Perk?

Most folks who book 4-night stays will get the best discount with this deal.

If you’re not concerned about earning points & stay credits, or getting elite status perks, or if you’re booking an independent hotel without a loyalty program, you might still consider shopping around for a better discount.

But that’s only if you can find a significantly lower rate on an online travel agency website like Orbitz, Expedia, or Hotels.com.

You’ll Probably Get the Best Value With Citi Prestige, but You Should Still Shop Around Online for Deals on Your Hotel

However, because big hotel chains have best rate guarantees, you’re unlikely to find a substantially lower rate at other sites. And even if you do, the discount you get probably will NOT equal the ~25% savings you’ll earn by booking with Citi Prestige.

Hotels.com is similar, except instead of earning Orbitz Orbucks points, you’d earn 4 credits toward the 10 nights required to earn a free night in their rewards program. That’s not nearly as good a deal.

Hotels.com Is a Far Inferior Deal, Too!

Keep in mind that you can sometimes earn additional cash back by going through an online portal (check Evreward for the best deals) or using a coupon. But it would have to add up to ~25% back to compete with the Citi Prestige perk!

As always, do the math to decide which way will save you the most money!

But What About Prestige’s Annual Fee?

The Citi Prestige has a $450 annual fee which is NOT waived for the 1st year.

Using the 4th night free benefit even once, you could potentially earn back the annual fee.

This is a card for folks who will make use of the perks! It’s NOT a card to meet the minimum spending on, then stick in a sock drawer. Used correctly, you’ll get far more than $450 in value, even without the sign-up bonus.

Bottom Line

The Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit is an excellent perk and can save folks lots of money on paid hotel stays. You’ll get a statement credit for the cost of your last night when you book your stay with a Citi Prestige card. But you have to call Citi at 877-288-2484 to book!

The booking process is a little cumbersome and takes some time, but the discount you get is almost always worth it. Especially if the last night of your stay is the most expensive!

There are no black-out dates and you can use this perk as often as you want.

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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

4comments

Thanks for all the great info. Do you really have to call to get the 4th night free? Can’t book it online? I prefer online as it’s generally quicker and easier. Just confirming that the call to citi is required. Thanks.

I want to use the term “rule of thumb” here but not sure as not really tested. That said, it’s frequently noted that when shopping for a DC area hotel, rates are higher during the week due to the government rate structure that area hotels utilize.

Sometimes I can’t stay an extra day in DC or have to checkin on a Friday when I want to have an overnight in DC area Thursday. It would be nice to get that extra day in DC by using the 4th night free at the higher rate on a Sunday or Monday night to extend one’s stay. That sometimes puts one into the category of flying a bit cheaper outbound on a Tuesday, not Monday.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)